How to Start a Meeting Between Magic and Science
by SubjectNine
Summary: DISCONTINUED: UP FOR ADOPTION. Aur did it, he finally became the Demon King. Only, he found out that a country is much harder to rule than a dungeon. Especially if you're expanding. "I really need a strategist." "I can do that, too." First Maou no Hajimekata crossover story.


**Dislaimer:** I do not own Maou no Hajimekata and Worm. They are, respectively, the property of Warau Yakan and Wildbow. I am writing this story purely for fun.

 **Author Notes:** First, I want to warn the readers that this story is rated M for a reason, it contains themes and scenes not suitable for minors of both sexual and violent nature. Second, Maou no Hajimekata ("How to start as the Demon King") doesn't yet have a personal section on FF, that's why I chose "X-overs" as the other half of the crossover. Finally, the characters and elements from Worm that appear in this story were created using one of the earlier CYOA as inspiration, not just canon elements.

I am not going to say "don't like, don't read" because that's just childish. I can take negative reviews. I just wanted to make sure you, as potential readers, are aware of what to expect from now on.

* * *

 **Prologue: Let's meet a Young Sage!**

{ **•** }

"Aur, what are we doing here so far from the capital?" Lilu asked. She was a beautiful woman with deep black, glossy long hair and delicate white fair skin, slender limbs and generous curves. She was clad in clothes that barely preserved her modesty, looking more like underwear than proper clothes.

However, despite her bewitching appearance the bat-like wings on the back, gently flapping to keep her afloat in the sky, and the horns on her head identified her as a demon, specifically a Succubus: a race of all-female demons who resembled beautiful women and specialized in sucking out the life energy of living beings through sex.

"A few days ago I found a report mentioning that a sage has set up residence on a small village around here." The man who was flying next to her by riding a Wyvern replied. He was an handsome fellow dressed in exquisite black robes with amber hair and brown eyes, a prominent frown on his face giving him a dangerous if charismatic aura. His name was Aur, a sorcerer who had obtained an extraordinary source of magical power at the end of his long life of research: using it to become young again, he then set out to become the Demon King and build a dungeon that none would ever clear. Just recently he had managed to strike a decisive blow to the Kingdom of Figuria and became its ruler, putting the whole country under his command.

"A sage? One of those hermits that spend their lives inside a cave meditating?"

"On the contrary. This one is actually quite young, wearing unusual clothes none can identify, and by what the soldiers could see he helps the residents by teaching them new skills and creating amazing items." Aur replied. "Even if badly described it didn't sound like any magic I am familiar with, so I thought to take a look."

"Eeh, do you want to recruit him? I thought you detest males." Lilu covered her smirk with a hand.

"When I have ever said I detest males?" Aur looked troubled at Lilu's insinuation. "It's true that I don't trust humans, but accusing me of gender discrimination is too much..."

It was true: Aur believed that humans were inherently untrustworthy creatures that would quickly betray someone without hesitation if it was advantageous to them. The same applied to Monsters and Demi-Humans, it was the reason he always made sure to apply a magically-enforced contract to all of his subordinates so that, one way or another, they couldn't betray him. However, this inherent distrust had nothing to do with the fact that someone is male or female: even if one of the reasons he chose a Succubus like Lilu as his first minion was to have a beautiful young woman to have sex with, that was just his personal preference as far as the matter of personal collaborators went.

Soon they arrived at their destination, but the sight that greeted them was way outside of their expectations.

"This...is a small village?" Lilu gaped at the large settlement that was already a full-fledged town in size and quality of their buildings, with the walls still in construction. Normally villages housed a few hundred residents, but the one below them could easily give residence to a thousand and more. "How old was that report?"

"Just a few months." Even Aur was surprised at the spectacular growth. "Let's check out what happened."

After landing and making proper introductions they had the leader of the village, now its mayor, give a tour of the town. "It's a great honor to have the King visit our humble village."

"I wouldn't call it humble." Aur commented while looking around. The surprisingly clean streets were buzzing with activity, the people looking healthy and well-fed while their clothes were of very good making. There wasn't a single beggar in sight. If Aur had to make a comparison, it was like a noble district but for commoners.

"True. Until a few months ago we were just another poor village. It's all thanks to the lord Sage that it has grown so much so quickly."

"This lord Sage, he's exactly why I have come here. What can you tell me about him?"

"Not much I am afraid." The old man shook his head before sitting on a bench to rest his legs. "He arrived here one day out of nowhere, on foot and carrying only the clothes he wore. A boy barely into adulthood, yet so intelligent it is clear he is a great scholar. He told us he was brought here against his will from a very distant land and so sought to know more, asking us many questions about this country and the world in general. In exchange he taught us many amazing things, and helped developing our village into what it is today."

"From a distant land, he said...mh?" Something caught Aur's attention. A young girl was sitting on a low wall while reading a book, but something about the latter was strange. He walked up to her and asked with a polite tone, so that he didn't have to waste time calming down the child: "Can I see that book?"

The girl blinked before smiling brightly and handing over her book to Aur. "Sure mister! But not for long please, tomorrow the Sage will interrogate us on multiplications and I need to study."

"Is that so? What a good child you are." Aur smiled at the child, but his expression turned into shock when he looked at the book's content. "This is...!"

"What's wrong Aur?" Lilu peeked from above his shoulder. "Waaah, the words are written so neatly. The amanuensis must be really skilled."

"This isn't the work of an amanuensis." He began to scroll through the book's pages. "Every letter is identical for each repetition. And the pages...I have never seen this kind of paper. How was it made?"

"That, my King, is one of the Sage's invention: the printing press. Come with me, I'll show you."

The village's leader brought them to a bookshop, where the owner wasted no time showing them his workshop: in the middle of it was peculiar device, made up of a press set over a table with other contraptions.

"My King, it is very simple: we use those types-" The owner showed a small metal block with a raised letter on one end. "To form phrases and place them into a frame to make a 'forme'."

He placed some types into the metal frame to compose a short phrase into a single line, then placed it over a flat stone on the press' table. "Next is the inking." Using two balls of sheep's wool mounted on handles he wetted them with ink and applied it to the text evenly.

Next he retrieved a piece of damp paper and placed it on a taut cloth mounted in a frame, small pins holding the paper in place. Another frame next to it had a sheet of oiled paper that covered the space between the types and the edge of the paper. He folded both down, so that the paper lied on the surface of the inked types, and pushed the whole contraption under the press.

"The last step is the printing." Holding the long handle he pushed it around fully, turning the screw and causing the press to gently press down on the paper. Letting go of the handle a spring mechanism made it move back to its initial position, rising the press while the contraption was pushed back and the frames unfolded, presenting the newly printed paper.

Lilu let out a "Ooooh" sound of admiration while clapping her hands, eyes sparkling. On the contrary Aur had his whole attention fully focused on the device called printing press, his intense gaze trying to discern the machine's secrets by force of will alone. He wasn't a stranger to peculiar devices, having invented one to make good quality noodles from the normally unsuitable local wheat, but this was something else. "What are the types made of?"

"An alloy of lead, tin and antimony that melt at low temperature, cast well in the die and is durable in the press. To ensure a uniform template the types are made using special hand moulds called matrix. They're all inventions of the lord Sage, together with the methods to create the paper and the oil."

"How many pages can you produce per day?"

"Working together with my assistant we can produce more than three thousand pages each day." The owner said with obvious pride. "Right now there aren't many buyers around, but I met a merchant who said he can sell them to the nobles of another town. We're working on an agreement, and if everything goes right I'll be able to expand the shop and hire more people."

"Three thousands. Assuming an average of three hundred pages per book, it's ten books each day." While externally there wasn't a single hint of it, inside his mind Aur was actually feeling slight awe at the numbers involved. His lips curved upwards into an intrigued smile. "Show me more of the printing process and how the device is built. After that I want to know what kind of books you print here."

* * *

Later, after the tour's end, Aur and Lilu were walking down a paved road next to a river, having learned the sage lived alone outside the village. "So simple in concept, yet the implications are immense." In his hands was a page with text he personally printed, his thumbs stroking the almost smooth surface. "And not a single ounce of magic used. It isn't the best for making grimoires, but to spread mundane knowledge it's an amazing method."

Grimoires were books written by sorcerers, magicians and other magic users to record spells and their personal discoveries. What made them different from normal books was that the author would infuse mana within the pages and the words they wrote, slowly adding a permanent enhancement to the book against damage and wear. They also made it easier to cast the spells recorded inside and could be packed with all sorts of useful effects, like curses against thieves and words that were visible only by uttering a specific password.

"And the rest!" Aur turned around and made a sweeping gesture towards the distant village. "Lilu, did you notice it?"

"Notice what?" She asked. "Sorry, I kind of tuned you out since the discussion with that potter about prices. It was so boring I almost fell asleep."

"Aren't you supposed to be my bodyguard?" He muttered with a sweatdrop. He shook his head slowly before starting to explain. "I'm talking about the techniques. The steel produced by the blacksmith is of high quality, and so are the fabrics made by the weavers. The farmers made intelligent use of different types of plants and water canals to have a rich harvest even without a blessing, and all the buildings were made in record time and with a reduced crew. All of this thanks to the techniques shared by the sage. The overall technology used is more advanced than anywhere else in the country, even the capital."

Aur grinned. "I dare say it's thirty-no, fifty years more advanced. No wonder people transfer here en-masse."

Lilu tilted her head sideway in confusion. Demons had very long lifespans, so for someone like her a period of 50 or even 100 years meant nothing. Furthermore most of her knowledge of human society was focused on understanding the working of their hearts, she had only a basic understanding of the arts and professions of humans. "Uhm, I don't really understand. But by your words, I take it is something amazing?"

"More than amazing: it's exceptional. I must meet this sage no matter what."

The sage's residence turned out to be similar in form and size to a city hall, made with a mix of bricks and metal plates. It was resting next to the river's shore, with a large water wheel on its side. A series of chimneys on the roof were releasing white smoke, but by the lack of smell in the air Aur deduced it was just steam. The ground floor had no windows, the only interruption on the surface a thick door without knob and lock. However, there was a small bell fixed next to it.

Aur motioned to the bell. Understanding the gesture Lilu walked up to the door and rang the bell. She was Aur's bodyguard and even in case of death she would simply return to the Devil Kingdom, so it was her duty to check for traps and the like.

The first note had just finished ringing when a circular section on the door opened up, revealing a glass eye which rotated to stare at the two. "Greetings visitors." A distorted, slow voice came from inside. "Please state the reason for your visit."

"I am the ruler of this country." Aur replied. "I have come to meet the one who live there."

"Acknowledged. Please wait a moment." The eye closed, only to open up again thirty seconds later. "The Creator has authorized your entry. Have a nice day."

The door moved backwards before smoothly sliding sideways, revealing a completely bare corridor save for the identical doors positioned at regular intervals on both sides. Illumination was provided by small circular holes covered by glass spread across the ceiling.

Marching forward confidently, but still cautiously keeping their guard up for possible trickery, the Demon King and the Succubus moved through the corridor waiting for a sign of where to enter. Said sign came at the very end, where the last door slid open at their approach.

Past it they arrived inside a large room with many strange devices scattered haphazardly across it. Some were releasing steam, while others had electric arcs humming softly between raised spikes or long, contorted glass tubes inside which flowed glowing liquids. Neither Aur nor Lilu could identify the function of even a single one.

"Waahh." Lilu peeked into a glass container: inside a beam of light hit a crystal on one facet, causing rainbow-colored beams to be projected by the other facets. "What kind of magic is this?"

"This is not magic." Aur stated resolutely. Since he saw the mansion he had an inkling that only grew stronger as time passed, and seeing this place, likely a workshop, confirmed it. "There is not a single drop of mana in the whole complex."

Any use of magic, from the simplest to the most complex ones, would produce an excess of mana, dissipating it in the air and leaving a trace a skilled user is able to follow. The only exception is mana that flows solely within a body, or in the case of the Dragon's Veins deep within the earth. Admittedly Aur developed a technique to perfectly contain the accumulated mana inside the Dungeon Core, but it was the result of decades of hard work on his part. Aur was considered the best in the world when it comes to manipulation and storing of mana, so he felt confident no one else possessed his technique of perfect mana accumulation.

That left only one possible conclusion: no matter how they may seem to have a magic origin, nothing of what they were seeing worked by using mana.

"Yes, not a single drop. Except-" Aur pointed forward. "For a small amount there."

"Oh, this? Just a sample I collected underground." A voice immediately replied, as if waiting exactly for that moment. A seat in front of work table turned around, revealing the one sitting there. He was a young man 17-18 years old, wearing a white robe-like coat with long sleeves, a black shirt with a high collar under it, strange azure pants and even stranger white and red footwears. His chin was propped above the left hand, while in the right one he held a glass tube with metal devices on both sides, within it a small glowing ball of mana.

He had shaggy blonde hair; despite the skin being devoid of imperfections his features were utterly unremarkable. He was neither handsome nor ugly.

But his eyes...they were a light blue, complimenting his hair well, and incredibly intelligent. Like the one they belonged to could see everything, understand everything. Every moment they were taking apart everything within their sight, studying every single piece as if commanding it to yield all of its secrets. And behind those eyes, almost unnoticeable, was darkness.

A darkness, Aur realized, similar enough to the one he harbored within his own heart.

"It took long enough to find a working containment system. Speaking about it." The boy took out another device, some sort of metal cylinder with a glowing green light at the top, and waved it up and down in Lilu's direction. "The horned, winged humanoid next to you is completely made up of the stuff. Truly fascinating." He looked at Aur with a serious look and asked, as if it was totally normal: "Can I vivisect her?"

"WHAT?!" Lilu screamed, cowering behind Aur in fright. It was mostly the shock of someone asking such a thing about her out of the blue, after all humans generally wanted only three things from her: sex, banishing her for being an unholy creature, or in the case of Aur taking care of matters that required a Succubus' inherent wisdom.

"Sorry, no can do." Aur calmly replied while crossing his arms. "She is currently performing important tasks on my behalf. Even if you can give her back to me unharmed precious time would still be wasted."

"That's rig-Heeey, are you saying the only reason you aren't letting this maniac get his hands on me is because I need to work?!" Lilu protested heatedly. She so wanted to smack Aur for being an insensitive jerk, but sadly the contract between them forbidden her from causing any kind of harm on Aur. All she could do was complain about her misfortune.

"Then a similar but expandable specimen? I'm okay even if it is of lower quality."

"Well, that can be arranged I suppose." Aur mused, showing a confident smile. "But before that, how about we share our names? I am Aur, the Demon King. New ruler of Figuria."

"Sehr erfreut. And I go by the name Gotterdammerung, Dam for short. I'm THE Tinker, with all the capitals." The boy smirked. "Tea for everyone?"

* * *

The water reached the boiling point, covering the inside surface of the phial with glistening beads of condensed vapour. Dried leaves were added at that point, giving the water an amber coloration as a spinning whisk mixed the two evenly. The liquid was then drained, passing through a filter to remove impurities and poured through three small tubes into an equal number of cups.

"Milk? Sugar?" Dam offered.

"No, nothing." Aur politely refused, while Lilu happily added more than six spoons of sugar. Bringing the cup near his face he let the fragrant aroma drift into his nostrils, using the time to check for poison. He wasn't in any real danger of dying thanks to having hid his life energy inside the Dungeon Core, making any injury to the body pointless, but it wasn't a valid reason to grow complacent. Only after he failed to identify the tell-tale signs of poison in both the aroma and look of the liquid, as well as receiving a negative response from the poison-detecting bracelet under his sleeves, did he drink. "This tea is very good."

"Thank you. Honestly I prefer coffee, but I haven't be able to find any."

"Ko-fii?"

"A plant from my land. Its roasted beans are used to make a drink that is more bitter than tea but works better as a stimulant." The boy shrugged before taking another sip. "I'll synthesize a breed once I have the appropriate resources."

"That is a good topic to start from." Aur put down the cup and folded his fingers together, resting his chin over them and the elbows on the table. "The village head told me you hail from a very distant land. But how 'distant' are we talking about?"

"Genau!" Dam's smile widened. "That's the right question. Might as well give the whole truth, you two look able to grasp it. Tell me, what do the words 'from another world' say to you?"

"Aah." Aur made a sound of understanding. "This explains so much. You don't come from another country or continent, but from a different place of existence."

The existence of different worlds was an accepted concept among practitioners of magic and divine arts. The Devil World where Lilu came from was a good example, along with the Angel World that housed their archenemies, the Celestials. While all known different planes were bizarre compared to the Human World and housed only non-human species, it was theorized by some human scholars that out there was a plane similar enough to their own world to allow the proliferation of the human race.

"That is so. Originally my intention was to simply travel to an alternate version of my original world in order to enjoy a fresh start -things were starting to get too damn heated, you see- but one of my old opponents just had to interfere, without even knowing what was happening..." He shook his head, a complicated expression conveying both annoyance and melancholy. "They just got so pathetic after Hero died..."

Aur remained silent. He recognized Dam's mood change as a personal issue, and while normally it wouldn't stop him from inquiring further he wasn't really interested in it, opting instead to let it pass so that they could get back to more important topics. Lilu on the other hand was curious, but considered prudent to let Aur handle the conversation.

"Sorry for the interruption." The boy continued after a short pause. "To make a long story short, instead of my original destination I ended up here, with none of my belongings save for what I was wearing. Vexing, vexing: absolutely vexing. Yet this misfortune has its good side: I got the fresh start I wanted, I'm far away enough that the probability of them never finding me is quite high, and most importantly...this!"

He lifted up the device containing the mana with both hands, staring at it with an unsettling smile. "An all-encompassing form of wave-particle energy that has no equivalent and only passing resemblance to the four fundamental energies, whose manipulation allow humans to achieve what, lacking better terms, can be rightfully considered magic! Himmlisch! Ich bin das Alpha und Omega!"

Dam started to laugh maniacally, causing the two guests to sweatdrop. "Aur." Lilu whispered to her master. "I think this guy's gone bonkers. "

"No, I believe he's just currently overcome by happiness." During his years as a lecturer in the Magician's Society Aur had seen similar case, all of them from individuals who managed to make a huge breakthrough in their own studies. He had done the same when he discovered the confluence of the Dragon's Veins, not that he was ever going to reveal that embarrassing episode to anyone.

The amber-haired man waited for the other male to calm down before posing another question. "Does your original world lack the presence of mana?"

"Mana. So that's the name." He hummed. "No it doesn't have mana. There are many different types of energy, some of which can be used to create magic-like effects, but manipulation of the physical world is done exclusively with science, intended as the systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Even then only Capes can do it without specific tools."

"Capes?"

"A term for individuals that developed special powers. They can be compared to the 'Gifts' some people of this world possess, except they aren't granted as birth but during special circumstances."

A Gift is a special talent one may be born with. It is something a level above magic, an ability more in the realm of 'Destiny', that only a small fraction of humans are born possessing.

"The powers of Capes still use science, yet their true nature is so beyond my old world's level of understanding that for the uneducated they may as well be magic." Dam put a hand on his chest, smiling smugly. "Unless you're someone like me. I'm classified as a Tinker, meaning my powers give me an advanced grasp of science and anything that falls under the category of 'knowledge': mathematics, chemistry, biology, economy, medicine and so much more!"

"Except Magic." Lilu blurted out.

That declaration was followed by thirty seconds of complete silence, during which Dam stared at her with a blank look. "...Ja: except Magic. It's just so different that I have no previous frame of reference to base my studies on." He scowled, shifting his focused gaze to the contained mana. "But I'm learning. I started basically from scratch and the small data I was able to collect from the villagers and the few travellers that passed through, but I can understand it. I can adapt, and no matter how much time it takes: I'll succeed."

"But why waste time that could be better spent elsewhere?" The beginning of a plan was starting to form in Aur's mind. He could see an ambition burning brightly within Dam's soul, something he could exploit. "If you desire to learn about magic I can provide explanations, books and all sort of aids. With the collected wisdom of past sorcerers your studies would go much smoother and quicker."

"You're right, totally so." Dam tilted his head slightly to the side. "And in exchange?"

"Become my strategist." Aur replied. "What you did to this small village, do it to the entire kingdom. If you can truly surpass the greatest minds in existence in whatever field you desire, put your mind and your technology under my service."

He didn't come there expecting much, at most an odd man to ignore if harmless or to eliminate if he was a bother. But after seeing what this 'Tinker' could do, Aur would be a fool in not seizing such a talented individual to himself.

"That's not a strategist, that's a handyman." The blonde boy snickered. "That aside, I expected something like this. And I'm interested in your offer, though I would like to add some terms."

"Name them."

"First request." Dam raised a finger. "I'm not one to bother much with morality. I don't care if there is need to steal, kill or whatnot. What I am against is pointless bloodshed: one or two I can understand, but when you massacre people by the hundreds for fun it's just a waste of perfectly good manforce."

"That's acceptable, I also think the same. I will surely destroy those who oppose me, but I will also take care of those that follow me."

"Glad we're of the same mind." He raised a second finger. "The second, and last, request is to be supplied with the resources I need. The specific amount is negotiable and I don't really care about money."

Suddenly his smile widened.

"Buuut, I demand to be provided with specimens, better if alive, of every non-human race you can get your hands on!"

Both Aur and Lilu blinked at the strange request. He didn't want money but...specimens? "For what?" The Succubus blurted out.

"Why, to vivisect them of course!"

"Again with that vivisection stuff?! You damn maniac, what's with you and this obsession with taking people apart?"

"Technically it's cutting them open. If I don't do this, how do you expect me to study their organ systems, how many there are and their structure? The total number of bones, their forms? The blood's composition? What kind of organisms live in their digestive systems?" For each phrase he inched closer to Lilu, until their noses almost touched. She stared transfixed at his smoldering eyes, too cowed to move. "And most important of all, what kind of embalming techniques is better use so that their heads don't decompose after I put them on my wall?"

"WHAT?!" Lilu jumped behind her seat, using it as a shield against the obviously deranged man.

Dam's expression instantly changed from serious to condescending, like he was speaking to an idiot child. "That was a joke."

"That was no joke! You were totally serious! Aur, this guy's personality is horrible!"

"Calm down you two." Aur called out, troubled by the wild way they were interacting. "Dam, your second request is also acceptable. Though I reserve the right to decide who you can or cannot have."

"Alright, alright. So..." Dam extended an open hand. "Are you my new employer?"

Aur stared at the hand in mild contemplation until Dam spoke again. "Don't look at it that way, I know you don't trust me." The amber-haired man's eyes narrowed even as the blonde one grinned. "That's a given in this kind of negotiations. Still, trust is not an essential prerequisite to make a deal, is it?"

"...Ah. Yes, a deal has nothing to do with trust." Aur's lips curved into a smirk.

As he thought the person in front of him, without a doubt-

-Was someone he wanted on his side.

"I'm your employer, and you're my employee. Let's make this deal profitable for both of us."

They shook hands.

"I look forward to that."


End file.
